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Daily Devotions

Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 
Day 
Day 13

"Guiding my heart with wisdom"

Text: Ecclesiastes 2:3

A WINE CONNOISSEUR

Solomon left no stone unturned in his search for meaning in life. He turned to wine as a possible answer. His reference to wine was not drunkenness. There were people who seemed to have found great pleasure in drinking. Could that be the answer?

“I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine,
while guiding my heart with wisdom,
and how to lay hold on folly,
till I might see what was good for the sons of men
to do under heaven all the days of their lives.”
Ecclesiastes 2:3

1. “I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine”

a) This was part of his search:
The gratification of the flesh with wine.
b) Carefulness exercised:
i) He would make sure that his wisdom was not impaired with too much wine.
ii) He would drink as discerningly as may be expected.
c) This would mean that there would be no excess.
i) Would drinking wine be the solution he was looking for?
ii) The lack of a definite answer is significant.
iii) To put it bluntly, the answer was negative.

2. “And how to lay hold on folly”

a) To “lay hold on folly” may suggest that he would allow himself to become drunk.
b) Two scenarios are presented:
i) Careful drinking
ii) Excessive drinking
c) To drink till one passes out is indeed “folly”.
d) The answer was not found here too.

3. “Till I might see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives”

a) This was his clearly stated goal.
b) What was that good thing that all sons of men under heaven ought to pursue?
c) This goal, if it is truly significant, must be something that may be pursued throughout life.

4. The pursuit of drinking wine would not achieve this goal for all the sons of men

a) Not all would be able to afford good wine.
b) Not all could consume wine for some may have allergy problems.
c) Being drunk would serve no purpose at all.

The conclusion was obvious. This line of thought would not yield the answer that he was looking for!